Savannah Film Festival...

...sucks.

I'm a movie person.  So one of the perks of living in Savannah is that I can catch the Savannah Film Festival each year in late October/early November.  They always screen some highly anticipated movies that you can screen weeks or months before the general public.  I've always been able to get tickets to pretty much anything I wanted to see about a week before the festival.  Granted, the festival likes to sell packaged passes (at least $200 per, but you get admission to every screening) and they reserve seats for VIPs associated with SCAD (who puts on the Fest) and the films.  But typically, you can get tickets to the movies if you go to purchase them about a week before they screen. 

Last year, I got to see Up in the Air about two months before it was released.  I bought the tickets to that one about a week ahead of time.  It was the Director's Choice, which meant we did not know what we were going to see before we got there and the credits started to roll, but we were all pleasantly surprised.  The year before, I got to see Happy Go Lucky, another good  movie.

This year, they were screening 127 Hours and Black Swan, both late year releases that are expected to contend for Oscar.  Additionally, there was the highly anticipated Director's Choice, where we don't know ahead of time what they are screening.  I wanted to get on top of it early, so I checked each day starting in September to see when the tickets are going to go on sale, but for some reason, SCAD never mentioned it.  There is little to no news on their Film Festival webpage.  All of a sudden, I check the website on the first Monday in October (the Fest is to start last weekend in October) and discover that tickets went on sale the previous Friday.  Okay.  No big deal.  I'm always able to get tickets a week before the festival starts.  But, to my dismay I discover that EVERYTHING IS SOLD OUT!  127 Hours, Black Swan, AND the Director's Choice.  Unreal. 

Over the next couple of weeks I try eBay and Craigslist, but the only thing I find are $300 passes.  The thing about this is that there is no doubt in my mind that SCAD probably put about 30 general admission tickets on sale to the public...and everything else was VIPs and SCAD "friends and family."  So, of course, the SCADders who had insider info gobbled up the tickets as soon as they went on sale.  They hadn't even started promoting the damned festival on the radio or with posters or with signs or in the paper.  But, sure as sunrise, I pass someone the next day putting up a poster promoting the festival.  I see ads and articles in the  paper about the "upcoming" festival.  But the assholes had sold out of all the screenings.  So, to whom are they directing their advertisements and what are they supposed to go see??? 

Shame on you, SCAD.  This was one of the few things you actually did right.  Until now (besides maybe the revitalization of downtown; that actually turned out well). 

But anyway.  I didn't get to see anything.  Insult to injury??  There was a movie that filmed here in Savannah last year.  Highly anticipated Robert Redford-directed movie that starred James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Justin Long, Alexis Bledel, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, and others.  I even went to watch some of the filming.  "The Conspirator" is about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and is anticipated to be a award-calibre film released to the general public after the new year.  Sure 'nuff, it was the Director's Choice.  And I did not get to see it.  Of course, the radio and the paper was abuzz about how Liam Neeson, Robin Wright, Ian McKellan were all there at the screening.  But too bad SCAD didn't give the "little people" a chance to go see it.  Thanks, SCAD. 

Anyway, enough ranting.  But I showed up for the Savannah Film Festival back when no one gave a rip and tickets were still selling the night of the show.  But now they're too big for all their former, small-time supporters.  Sucks.